1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a game program, especially to a game program for realizing a game in which a moving object, moving in a three-dimensional game space, is displayed on an image display unit based on a camera coordinate system set down on a position of a camera disposed in the three-dimensional game space. Additionally, the present invention relates to a game apparatus capable of running the game program, and a game control method to be controlled by a computer based on the game program.
2. Background Information
A variety of video games have been conventionally proposed. The video games are configured to be executed by the game apparatus. For example, a general game apparatus includes a monitor, a game console and an input device (e.g., a game pad). The game console is separately provided from the monitor. The input device is separately provided from the game console. Also, plural input buttons are disposed in the game pad.
For example, a baseball game is known as one of the video games realized by the game apparatus of the above type. PROYAKYU SPIRITS 4, Konami Digital Entertainment, PS3 version, Apr. 1, 2007 discloses such video game, as an example.
In a match-up of a pitcher character and a right-handed batter in the baseball game, for instance, the pitcher character is displayed on the center part of a monitor whereas the right-handed batter is displayed on the left part of the monitor. In the situation, a home plate is displayed on the center bottom part of the monitor whereas bleacher seats are displayed on the top part of the monitor. In the displayed condition, the pitcher character starts a series of pitching motion. When the pitcher character releases a ball, the released ball is displayed on the monitor. When the batter character hits back the released ball, the hit-back ball is displayed on the monitor.
As described above, the camera is disposed in the three-dimensional space, and line-of-sight of the camera is focused on a pitcher character's position until the batter character hits back the released ball after the pitcher character starts a series of pitching motion. When the batter character hits back the released ball, the camera's line-of-sight is configured to move in conjunction with movement of the hit-back ball (i.e., moving ball). A series of images, from the start of the pitcher character's pitching motion to the post-hit state of the pitched ball hit back by the batter character, can be displayed on the monitor by controlling the camera's line-of-sight.
The conventional baseball games have configurations that the camera's line-of-sight is focused on the pitcher character's position and/or tracks movement of the ball depending on the match-up condition. When the ball is hit back by the batter character, flies into the outfield seats, and bounces there, the camera's line-of-sight moves in conjunction with every single movement of the ball. Accordingly, there will be a drawback that the moving pictures make a game player feel uncomfortable to watch.
In the conventional baseball games, on the other hand, game providers have set movement of the camera's line-of-sight for every match-up condition as needed. In the aforementioned example, for instance, a game provider has set a command for causing the camera's line-of-sight to be focused on the pitcher character's position and a command for causing the camera's line-of-sight to track movement of the ball as needed.
Processing speed of the game apparatuses has been recently increased. In response, a variety of match-up conditions existing in the real baseball has been realized in the baseball game, too. Accordingly, the number of the match-up conditions is increased much. This produces a drawback that the game providers require a large amount of work for setting movement of the camera's line-of-sight.
To solve the aforementioned drawbacks, an object of the present invention is to provide a game for making a game player comfortably watch moving pictures even if the camera's line-of-sight tracks a moving object. Additionally, another object of the present invention is to provide a game that movement of the camera's line-of-sight can be easily set.